Package of flat articles with adjustable filler pad



May 12, 1953 F. o. ROBERTSON ,6

PACKAGE OF FLAT ARTICLES WITH ADJUSTABLE FILLER PAD Filed Dec. 5, 1951IN V EN TOR.

F aw 027052275015,

Patented May 12,1953

PACKAGE OF FLAT ARTICLES WITH ADJUSTABLE FILLER PAD Fred 0. Robertson,Indianapolis, Ind., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application December 3, 1951, Serial No. 259,633

, 2 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a shipping carton and filler pad thereforand is primarily concerned with a means for utilizing a standard sizebox or package for the packaging and shipment of hand saws, or the like,of varying lengths.

Hand saws are made in various lengths ranging from those having a bladeapproximately twenty inches long to those having a blade approximatelytwenty-six inches long, the latter being the most popular. Because ofthe greater number of boxes required for packaging the longer saws, eventhough larger, such boxes are substantially less in cost than the boxesnow used for packaging the shorter saws. It is a primary purpose of thisinvention, therefore, to provide a means whereby the longer boxes may beused for the packaging of the shorter saws as well as the more popularlonger varieties, while yet preventing such shorter saws from shiftingabout, with consequent damage to each other, during shipment andhandling of the packages.

A further object of this invention is to construct the means which makesthis utilization possible, in such a manner that it can be used, also,as a display stand for showing the saws to the public.

While saws are illustrated herein, and specifically mentioned in thedescription, it will be apparent that the basic concept of the presentinvention is equally applicable to many other products, including, butnot limited to, knives, chisels and other relatively flat, elongateddevices made and offered in various lengths.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a pictorial view showing the manner in which a hand saw isplaced in an envelope prior to packaging;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a carton, partially broken away, used inshipping such saws and showing a pair of such saws placed in the carton;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the filler pad constituting an elementof my invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the carton of Fig. 2showing the manner in which the pad of Fig. 3 is used therein; and

Fig. 5 is a pictorial view showing the manner in which the pad of Fig. 3is used as a display stand.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. 1 I have shown ahand saw l0. Prior to packaging for shipment, such saws are placed inenvelopes II to prevent damage, primarily, to the handles 12 thereof.

Heretofore, boxes of various lengths have been required for packagingeach different length of saw manufactured. The most popular saw now inuse is that havinga blade length of approximately twenty-six inches.Including the additional length due to the saw handle, such a sawrequires a box having ,a length of approximately thirty inches plus.This particular length of saw comprises to of the present market in handsaws. Theremaining 10% to 20% of the market is composed of saws ofshorter lengths. Boxes for these shorter lengths are, therefore, more orless custom made.

Since the boxes for the longer saws can be purchased in large volume,they cost about 60% of the cost of the shorter boxes. Obviouslytherefore, it becomes desirable that some means be devised whereby thelarger boxes can be utilized in packaging the shorter saws.

If the shorter saws are placed in the longer boxes, end for end, as iscommon practice, the saws, during shipment, are jostled from one end ofthe box to the other, resulting, more often than not, in damage. Thesaws sometimes break through the ends of the boxes themselves, but moreoften, they merely break through the protective envelope ll exposing thesaw teeth. The teeth, thus exposed, then gouge through the envelopesurrounding an adjacent saw handle and scratch and mar the handle to thepoint that it is rendered unsalable.

To counteract this difliculty, I have provided a filler pad or spacerelement referred to generally by the reference numeral l3. Pad l3comprises an elongated planar member having, in its extended form,overall dimensions approximately equal to the interior dimensions of theshipping box I4. Near one end, pad I3 is provided with a transversescore 16, defining a wing or flap l5, and of the well-known type whichwill permit said flap to be turned readily in either direction out ofthe plane of the midportion 2| of the pad. At intervals which, in thepresent instance, are two inches apart, the flap I5 is provided withfurther scores "5a and 16b. It will be obvious, of course, that anydesired number of such ad? ditional scores may be provided. Near itsopposite end, and preferably spaced therefrom a distance correspondingto the spacing of score 16 from the first-named end of the pad, the padis provided with another transverse score line 18 having thecharacteristics of the score l5 and defining a flap or wing l1.Additional scores la and [8b, similar in character and in spacing to thescores Ito and "lb, traverse the flap l1.

The usual form of shipp n box ll comprises a bottom portion 19 and a topor lid portion 28. The saws. it, in their protective envelopes H, areusually stacked in groups of one or more saws, with handles 52 abuttingone end of bottom portion H). A second such group is then placed in thebox in overlapping relation to the first group and with the handlesabutting the other box end. Where the saws are substantially the samelength as the box, no diiliculty arises. But where the saws are of ashorter length than the boxes, diiiiculties occur as set forth above.

Wherever, in the present specification or in the claims appendedthereto, I refer to a group of saws Or the like, it will be understoodthat that term is used in the sense in which it is used above, toinclude one element or a plurality of like elements.

To overcome these difficulties, the pad, i3 is folded about the line iiiso that wing ililies substantially parallel to the central portion 2%.Wing 55 is then hooked under the blade end of the first group or stackof saws placed in the as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the pad 13 i movedto the right, as viewed in 4, until the ends of the saws are tightagainst the inner side of the fold along line it. The top group or stackis then placed in the box with the handles abutting the other end of thebox. and with the blades of this groupoverlapping the blades of the.first. group, but separated by the central portion 2i oi pad E3. Thewing l? of pad i3 is then folded back over the ends of the second groupalong the fold line it.

This procedure is followed when -inch saws are being packed, as in thepresent drawings. 1" 22-inch saws are to be packed, the wings it an itwill be folded, instead, about the score. lines its. and its, or if24-inch saws are to be packed, the wings will be folded about scorelines iiib, and ltb.

Alternatively, the supplementary score lines might be four inches apart;in which case, wing it would 'be folded about line it and wing ll foldedabout line Eda for ZZ-inch saws; and wing it? would be folded about lineits and wing it about line {to for 24-inch saws.

As; will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 4 such an arrangementholds the two groups oi saws tightly against their respective ends ofthe box. At the same time, the central portion 2% is disposed betweenthe two groups, thereby eliminating all possibility of the teeth of onesaw breaking through its protective covering and gouging the handle oranother Where the saws being packed, are of the. longest or most popularlength, they 1: l the entire length of, the bar; and the filler pad maysimply be placed between the two groups of, saws without folding, due toits being of substantially the same length as the box. It could, ofcourse, be entirely eliminated, in this instance, but I have designedthe pad to serve a twofold purpose, the second of which I shall nowdescribe.

Along a common edge 22 of pad 13, I have provided, near each endthereof, a pair of notches. Notches 2t and 2d are formed in wing it andnotches 2t and 26 are formed in wing i1, all notches being substantiallyperpendicular to edge 22; Notch 23 is spaced from fold line 55 adistance equal to the distance between notch 25 and fold line it, andnotch is spaced from notch 23 a distance equal to the distance of notch26 from notch 25.

After the carton, with the saws therein, has reached its retail outlet,the pad i3 is removed from the box. Wing 15 is placed at approximatelyright angles to central portion 2i and wing ii is turned in the samedirection about the fold, line 8. The pad thus folded, is placed withthe, notches opening upwardly and one of the saws la is slipped intonotches 23 and 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. A display poster 2? maybe arranged in the notches 24 and Thus arranged, pad it becomes a rigidand substantial display rack upon which the saws may be shown to thepublic. Appropriate advertising may be printed upon the face 28 of thecentral portion 2i, as Well as along the folded end portions 15 and H.

I claim as my invention:

1. A universal shipping carton for use in packaging relatively fiat.articles of variable lengths comprising a box having a width slightlygreater than the width of one of said articles and a length slightlygreater than that of the longest of said articles to be packed butsubstantially greater than that of the shortest of said articles to bepacked, a lid for said box, and a filler pad comprising an elongatedplanar member having a fold li e. spaced from one end thereof transverseto the length of said member and a plurality of fold lines successivelyspaced from the other end of said member, transverse to the lengththereof, a first group of articles being stacked in. said box with afirst end thereof abutting one end or said box and a second group ofarticles. being stacked in said box with the corresponding end thereofabutting the other end-of said box and with an extending portionincluding a second end remote from said first end of said second, group.overlapping the similarly extendin portion including a, second endremote. from said, first end of said first group, said i""ci pad beingdisposed in said box with a central portion of said pad located betweenthe overlapping portions of said two groups, the end of pad adjacent thesecond end of said group of; articles being folded about its fold lineand turned back under the said second end of said first group to liebetween said second end of said first group, and the. bottom of said boxin substantial parallelism, with the central portion of said filler pad,with said second end of said first group engaging the fold, and theother end or" said member being folded about that one of plurality offold lines nearest the second end or second group and being turned backover said second end of said second group to lie between said secondgroup extending portion and said lid, when the latter is in place, insubstantial parallelism with the central portion of said filler pad.

2. The carton oi claim 1 in which the length of said filler padissubstantially equal to the length of said box.

FRED O. ROBERTSON References, Cited in the file of this patent UNITED.STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,481,333 Agar Jan. 22, 1924 1,755,234Westerfield Apr. 1930 1,968,880 Ebert Aug. 1934 2,097,757 Deike Nov.1937. 23%.118; Brogden l- June 11, 1940 2,331, 93 Muhlhauser Get. 12,1943

